One of the most honored volleyball players ever developed in Hawai'i's clubs and high schools is coming home to give back as a coach.

Fiona Nepo, a former All-America setter at the University of Nebraska, will coach the McKinley High girls team next season, McKinley athletic director Neal Takamori said yesterday.

Nepo was the Hawai'i state high school Player of the Year for University High School in 1994, before embarking on a glittering career at Nebraska. She played on an NCAA championship team in 1995, was a first- or second-team All-America setter in 1996, '97 and '98, and holds Nebraska's career assists record of 4,824.

Nepo was a graduate assistant at Nebraska last season and said she would try out for the U.S. 2004 Olympic team, a goal deferred after she finished playing at Nebraska because she gave birth to a son.

Instead of the Olympics, "she has decided to come home and start her working career," Takamori said.

Nepo went to University, but her six siblings all attended McKinley. Her four sisters all played volleyball for McKinley (Marjorie was all-state in 1995) and Fiona herself was a club-team "protégé," Takamori said, of long-time McKinley coach Richard "Longy" Okamoto, who died in 1995.

"She has a lot of his values," Takamori said.

"We had her whole family here, she was the only one who got away," Takamori said. "And now we have Fiona, too."

Nepo is teaching at another school and could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Repeat feat: The St. Anthony High School boys 4 x100-meter relay team set a state championship meet record Saturday with a time of 42.98 seconds at Kamehameha's Kunuiakea Stadium.

Team members are Panfilo Bascar, Jamaal Rivers, Jerub-James Pacheco and Brad Somera. The foursome broke their own record of 43.01, set at last year's state meet at Mililani.

The record was not acknowledged in Sunday's Advertiser.

TENNIS

Kaua'i finished second: The Kaua'i High boys team finished second in the Carlsmith Ball/HHSAA State Tennis Championships Saturday. Another school was credited with the second-place finish in Sunday's Advertiser. The correct top five are: 1, Punahou 26. 2, Kaua'i 7. 3 (tie), Farrington, Iolani, Kaiser 6.